The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Four-Disc Extended Edition)
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Buy now from CalgaryMovies DVD Store

Four young adventurers playing hide-and-seek in the country home of an old professor stumble upon an enchanted wardrobe that will take them places they never dreamed. Stepping through the wardrobe door, they are whisked out of World War II London into the spectacular parallel universe known as Narnia--a fairy-tale realm of magical proportions where woodland animals talk and mythological creatures roam the hills. But Narnia has fallen under the icy spell of a mad sorceress, cursed to suffer through a winter that never ends by the White Witch Jadis. Now, aided by Narnia's rightful leader, the wise and mystical lion Aslan, the four Pevensie children will discover their own strength and lead Narnia into a spectacular battle to be free of the Witch's glacial enslavement forever.

I remember watching the old 1980s BBC version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a wee little tyke in school. Not having read or heard the book previously, I immediately fell in love with Turkish delight, odd creatures and snow-filled worlds. It was a good thing that there wasn't a wardrobe in my house as I probably would have locked myself in looking for said items.

Although that version of the story stills holds a fond place in my heart, it doesn't compare to the size and scale of Andrew Adamson's blockbuster take. The special effects are no longer cheesy and the look is nothing but breathtaking. And while I did find some parts of the Disney version of the film to drag, there are many excellent parts. When this film is on, it's really on. The epic battle scenes still standout from when I first saw it in the theatre. Having seen it a couple of times since, it is doubtful that the initial charge of that scene will ever leave my memory.

Disney has release an extended version on DVD that now includes a couple of extra scenes and expanded battles in much the same manner Peter Jackson did with his three Lord of the Rings films and more recently with King Kong. The added scenes don't add a heck of a lot to the overall appeal of the film, but they certainly don't take anything away from it either.

Video: How's it look?
Form start to finish, the look is absolutely marvelous. There's no glitches of any kind and the picture is justifiably breathtaking. The picture has an enhanced widescreen presentation with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Audio: How's it sound?
Both the Disney 5.1 Home Theater Mix and the DTS 5.1 Digital Surround audio tracks are excellent. They bring the world of Narnia to life as though it were a playground somewhere in this world. There are also additional French and Spanish tracks.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• Director Andrew Adamson and stars William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley provide a commentary track that reveals a lot of the on-set stuff as well as insights from Adamson where he compares the film to the original book.
• A second commentary track is provided by Adamson, production designer Roger Ford and producer Mark Johnson. AS one might expect, there's a lot of technical details with this conversation.
• Viewers have the option of watching the film with pop-up Narnia facts from co-producer Douglas Gresham, who just happens to be the stepson of C.S. Lewis.
• "Chronicles of a Driector" runs 37 minutes and traces the journey of director Andrew Adamson took in bringing it to the screen and in creating the film's visual feel.
• "The Children's Magical Journey" puts the spotlight on the film's young stars. It includes footage of them making the film as well as having fun on the set. It's running time is a touch under a half-hour.
• "Evolution of an Epic" is a four-part featurette that follows Narnia from the pages of a book to a Hollywood blockbuster. Included is an "anatomy of the scene" that looks at the waterfall scene in great detail, from many angles.
• "Creatures of the World" are brief character sketches for 11 of the stories mythical characters.
• "Explore Narnia" is an interactive map that describes the many corners of the world. Take that Google Earth!
• "Legends in Time" breaks down the time frame of the story from the perspectives of both worlds.
• Narnia author C.S. Lewis is the subject of the feature-length documentary Dreamer of Narnia. Not only does it paint his biography, but it goes in depth in looking at how his life impacted his classic epic.
• "Visualizing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is a long and thoroughly extensive look at the visual conceptualization of the film. It contains everything from cast interviews, storyboards and comparisons from the filming to the final version.
• "Anatomy of a Scene: Behind the Battle" breaks down exactly how the classic climax came together, whether it's on the set or on a computer screen.
• "Art of Narnia" includes photo galleries that look at concept art, landscapes and maquette models. Sorted by thumbnails, it's a big collection that is easily navigated.
• Introduction from director Andrew Adamson.
• Bloopers.
• Previews for Disney's two-disc DVD release of Peter Pan, a Meet the Robinsons trailer and Blu-ray pitch.
• English, French and Spanish subtitles.

Closing Thoughts
Taking a cue from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Disney has put together a stellar edition of the kick-off of the Narnia series that truly deserves the title "special edition." It's one of those cornerstone releases any fan of the film will want to own..


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com